. >>> negotiations on a looming fiscal cliff have gone exactly nowhere. the latest white house offer presented by treasury secretary tim geithner included $400 billion in unspecified medicare cuts and no more limit on how much the government can borrow. and then there's the tax hike on higher-earning americans. republicans aren't buying it. >> there is just no reason why 98% of americans have to see their taxes go up because some members of congress on the republican side want to block the tax rate increases for 2% of the wealthiest americans. >> i'm just flabbergasted. i looked at him and said, you can't be serious. i just have never seen anything like it. >> if they cannot reach a deal by new year's day, nearly every american will end up paying more in taxes. >>> public school students in five states will soon spend a lot more time in the classroom. a new three-year pilot program will be announced today in colorado, connecticut, massachusetts, new york, and tennessee. 20,000 students at those select schools will spend an extra 300 hours per term in clas